I’m back from Arizona. Back to thick socks and fleece, though today was a perfect British Columbia spring day and getting warmer by the minute.

This picture is taken at Castle Dome Mine near Yuma, Arizona, an amazing place and worth seeking out. Don’t worry about the pistol-packing National Forest rangers. They just “like to level the playing field” because everyone they encounter is likely to be wearing their own “personal protection”. The wild west seems to have never left this land and the people that tough it out on its thorny landscape.

The best thing about press trips is the chance to meet some great new people while discovering new places together. Drinking champagne and eating great meals every day doesn’t hurt either.

Just don’t talk to me about the killer itinerary.